The Exorcist
by Haladflire65
Summary: Roy Mustang's career takes a strange turn when he's forced to become a part time exorcist.
1. Chapter 1

The Exorcist

_A Fullmetal Alchemist fanfic by Haladflire65_

**Summary: **Roy Mustang's career takes a strange turn when he's forced to become a part-time exorcist.

**Rating: **Teen, for violence, darkness and coarse language.

**Genre**: Drama, Action, Supernatural, Horror

**Notes**: Hey, everyone. I'm back with another full-length FMA fanfic. I had some really weird ideas/inspiration for a new story. Again, it'll be Roy-centric, so I wanted to try something that hasn't been done before. So this one will feature Roy as an exorcist. I won't reveal any more since that would be spoiling things, hence the short and vague summary. If this sounds interesting at all to you, please read on and review! Also, the first chapter ended up longer than usual because I had so much time to work on it… stuck in someone's house with no Internet for six days… long story. I'll be working on _Exorcist_ in parallel with my other fic, _The Flame of Anarchy_. Just so you know.

Enjoy.

**Chapter One**

There were some voices in the room, not so far away from him. He opened his right eye a crack. Roy realized that there were heads hovering over his face – very blurry heads at that. He blinked, or tried to, as he was struck with a blinding pain in his left eye. A gasp escaped his lips as he pulled himself upright, feeling restraining hands on his shoulders. He was in a hospital room.

"Colonel, you mustn't move… Please, sir, keep still!" Was that Fuery or Breda speaking? He had no idea; his vision was so hazy and his head was pounding like a sledgehammer. Roy attempted to push those hands away and say something. His voice came out in a harsh whisper.

"F-uck, let go of me." To his irritation there were only relieved laughter and sighs in the room.

"He's awake. The Colonel's awake!" Damn, how could Roy not be able to tell whether that was Riza or Fuery? He just couldn't think clearly. At least their faces were coming into focus now. Roy squinted, to try and see better, but that only triggered another stab of agony in his left eye. He bit his lip to bite back a cry of pain. He put his hand to the spot, and found scratchy bandages swathing his head and covering his eye.

"What the hell…?"

It was definitely Riza. Roy recognized her gentle hand on his shaking shoulder. She said quietly, "Colonel, the doctors say… they say that your eye's badly damaged – that you won't be able to see out of it again – "

Roy interrupted her with a choked gasp. "Is…" He looked at her with his good eye, now watering. "…is it supposed to hurt like this?"

He saw Riza turn to the others – all his subordinates were crammed into this hospital ward. He only caught snatches of what they were saying. "They didn't mention anything about pain…"

"I thought he wasn't supposed to feel anything anymore in there – "

Now Roy wanted to know what was wrong with him, having noticed a mirror on the wall nearby. He forced himself to swing his legs over the side of the bed, pulling the bandages loose at the same time. The throbbing still hadn't gone away. Taking unsteady steps, his bare feet making no sound on the floor, he made his way to the mirror. His subordinates hadn't seen him yet – he peered into the smooth glass surface, almost afraid of what he might find there.

His dark hair was unkempt, contrasting sharply with his pale and drawn face. The right eye was perfectly normal – black and narrow as always. Roy had expected to see a bloodied socket or something of the sort on the left side. But no, there was his eye, looking almost ordinary. Confusion made his head spin again. _They said it was damaged… That I was going to be blind in it…_ With a closer look, Roy saw with increasing horror that the iris of the eye was not the usual black, but an eerie, unnatural gold. He couldn't help but open his mouth and shout.

"_What the hell!?_"

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It all started on a nice day in late August. The warm afternoon sunshine came shining through the windows and into the office. The office had a relaxed, sluggish air – even Hawkeye had given up on making the Colonel do any more work today. She had to admit he looked exhausted. He'd been up all night the day before, signing papers and doing research. She let herself lean against the wall behind him and relaxed.

"Colonel!" It was nearly three o'clock when Cain Fuery came running into the office, waving several pieces of paper. "Colonel Mustang, we have more reports…"

"What's the rush, Fuery?" Havoc grinned, taking a chunk of bread from Breda. Falman was absorbed in a thick book on history or something of the sort. "We still have three hours 'till work's over."

Roy lifted his head from his clasped hands, annoyance flickering through his face. "What is it?" He had obviously been half-asleep until now. Riza glared at him, making him sigh and straighten up in his chair. He glanced at the papers Fuery put down on his desk - his brow knitted into a crease in his forehead when he saw one of the pages.

"Fuery. What's this?" He asked, pointing at a page, frowning.

Fuery went red. "I don't know, sir – I didn't have the time to read any of it – "

Riza bent over Roy's shoulder to see. There was a photo of a young blonde man on the page, rather good-looking, with blue eyes and an angular face. "The Chemical Alchemist?" She raised her eyebrows. "Robert Livingston, age twenty-one, unmarried, State Alchemist… Experiments with various chemical reactions and alchemy…"

"Murder?" Havoc exclaimed, having come to Roy's desk also. "Why? He's a State Alchemist – "

"It says that he's not very mentally stable." Falman said, having put his book down and read over the report. "It's pretty clear, don't you think?"

"And I'm supposed to catch him." Roy pushed his black hair back from his eyes. "Damn it. I had a date today… This looks like it's going to take a while," he remarked, rapidly scanning the page. "He knows how to fight, and I'm not allowed to disintegrate him…"

"Will you be going right now?" Riza inquired. "We don't have much time, sir."

Roy sighed and rubbed his temples. "Yeah, I know… I do want to get this over with." He stood and ran a hand through his hair, glancing around at his subordinates. "We'll be leaving in ten minutes. Get armed. I'm expecting all of you to come with me. Now hurry up."

"Yessir!"

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The mansion was dark and run-down, as if no one had lived in it for at least ten years. But Roy knew that Robert Livingston was there. He'd known plenty about the Chemical Alchemist far before the bastard had committed murder. What a wasted young man… Roy shook his head, almost pityingly. Inside his head, he summarized Livingston's rather messy history.

Age twenty-one. He was born near the borders of Ishbal under poor parents. When he was only eleven years old the Ishbal War broke out; both his parents were killed. He was found in the rubble by none other than Maes Hughes, who kindly rescued and brought him back to headquarters. As Robert was not an Ishbalan he was to be taken to Central City and train as a soldier.

It was before he left the battlefields he happened to see Roy Mustang blast an Ishbalan camp into smithereens. Robert was not shocked but deeply intrigued. As a very intelligent boy, he began to take an interest in what made Mustang's incredible destructive powers possible – alchemy. When he got to military school he began to study the science on his own, using the large number of books available at Central. Robert taught himself elementary alchemy; when he became seventeen and a half he was recognized by superiors to be a mediocre soldier but an excellent alchemist. Two years later Robert Livingston was made into a State Alchemist, dubbed the Chemical Alchemist for his specialty – alchemy using chemistry.

He used the money he received to buy himself a large mansion which also doubled as his laboratory. That was last year. No one had heard from him after that.

Roy wondered what sort of person Livingston had become. He felt, with a twinge of guilt, that it was his doing, the creation of this madman. If Robert hadn't seen him as a boy, he might have never gotten the idea of becoming an alchemist into his head… Curse the damned war – killing thousands, scarring others for life, creating monsters…

"Colonel." Fuery's whisper made Mustang start. They were already standing on the front steps of the ivy-covered mansion. "Do we break right in?"

"Yeah, why not. I'll blow the doors off – "

Riza interrupted, "They look unlocked."

"Oh." Roy gave the rotten-looking wood a push; they creaked open on their rusty hinges. He and his subordinates peered inside. It was dark, musty and completely silent, save for the occasional scurrying noise of rats and mice.

"Should we split up, Colonel?" Breda asked softly from behind. "This place looks pretty big."

He nodded. "There're six of us, so…" Roy thought for a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the dark. "Fuery, you go with Havoc…" Havoc was sometimes too slow for his own good. He needed someone sharp-minded like the communications expert with him. "Falman and Breda, you two are together." Falman had knowledge; Breda was the more capable fighter if anything was to arise. He looked to his side. "Hawkeye. You're with me." The sniper would back up Roy's offense.

"Aye aye, sir!" The squad snapped to attention.

"Fuery, you and Havoc can start from the top. Falman, you and Breda are on this floor. The Lieutenant and I'll go down to the basement." Roy wanted to go downstairs. Laboratories were usually underground, where it was always cold, quiet and dark. He wanted to be the one to deal with Livingston, who could have some nasty alchemic tricks up his sleeve. He couldn't afford to get any of his men injured, or worse, killed. "Good luck, and don't die. That's an order."

"Yes, sir!" They parted. Roy led Riza to the stairs that led to the basement. It was so dark that Roy resorted to having a small flame at his fingers to act as a candle. There were cobwebs everywhere; they kept on getting caught in his uniform and hair. This was more of a natural tunnel than the hallway of a house. Roy could see the wooden foundations of the mansion sticking through some of the stone walls. The deeper they went, the more he felt like he didn't have enough air. It seemed to be the same with Riza. Their breathing became faster and louder.

The silence was just as suffocating. Roy needed to say something. "Have your gun loaded and ready, Lieutenant." He ordered quietly. He pulled on his left glove as well. He didn't use it often and hoped he wouldn't have to.

"You don't need to tell me that, Colonel," Riza said dryly. A moment later, she touched his shoulder. "Sir, do you hear that?"

"What is it?" All of Roy's senses were sharp and alert.

"I don't know… It's like…" Riza hesitated. "…bubbling?"

It was true. As if someone was boiling water nearby… Roy frowned. "Be careful."

They rounded a corner. Roy became aware that there was a light other than the orange glow coming from his glove. He let the flame go out; there was indeed something at the other end of the tunnel.

Riza kept close behind him. "Colonel. I think I see someone – "

Roy did as well. It was the faint silhouette of someone, outlined by a dim light. He shouted out a warning and pushed Riza back; there was a sudden flash of light, then a _boom_, and the tunnel shook with the impact. Roy felt bits of dust and rubble raining onto his head; soon afterwards there was the firing of a gun, obviously Riza's.

"You came, Colonel Mustang! I wanted to meet you – I've heard so much about the Flame Alchemist! I'm thrilled!" The gleeful voice of a man echoed through the tunnel. "How do you like my house?"

Roy assumed that this was Robert Livingston. He saw the man pick something up from the floor at his feet, something that looked like a flask of some sort – then, there was a brief crackling and sparks that signalled a transmutation. Livingston hurled the flask towards Roy and Riza –

"Colonel!" Riza cried; it was then Roy realized that this was a bomb. He lunged towards his subordinate, throwing his arms around her, just as the flask landed, much too close to them –

The explosion was deafening, almost comparable to the ones Roy's alchemy caused. Chunks of rock and wood went flying into Roy's back, which he was using to shield Riza and himself from the bomb. When the dust finally settled, Roy found himself on the floor, Riza under him.

"Thanks, sir," Riza gasped, too shaken to be embarrassed by their awkward position.

"That comes later, Lieutenant – " Roy replied, swinging his arm around to snap his fingers at the same time. It was then he stopped himself. This was a tunnel. If he tried to create fire here, it would eat up oxygen faster than he could create it… They would suffocate and die. "Shit," he muttered, mind racing.

"What's wrong, Colonel? Can't use your alchemy?" Livingston's voice called. "I always thought your methods were too inflexible – you can't use it in enclosed spaces… or in the rain…" He was interrupted by another shot from Riza. She'd fired her gun into the ceiling.

"Move any closer and I'll shoot, Livingston." She said loudly. She hissed to Roy, "Stay back, Colonel, there's not much more you can do."

He could feel himself go red, even in this rather dangerous situation. Only if they could at least get into the lab… a larger space… Then he could use pinpoint flames… What was he going to do?

"Aren't these babies beautiful?" Livingston exclaimed, gesturing to his pile of flask-bombs, completely ignoring Riza. "They're actually pretty simple. They're filled with a solution of water and some minerals – if I transmutate them into substances that react strongly against each other, then throw it, breaking the glass and exposing the inside to air – voila! I have an explosion!" Roy could tell that he was probably smiling proudly, although he was still too far away to see clearly. "Your alchemy actually gave me a lot of ideas, Colonel – "

"Shut up, Livingston." Roy barked, his temper flaring with impatience. "If you come quietly you won't have to get a bullet put in you. Now put the flask and get over here. Put your hands above your head."

"But this one," Livingston continued as if he'd heard nothing, "is different. It contains a solution I created for a special purpose. I intend to give some to you, Colonel Mustang." He lifted up a large test tube, as if to show Roy what was inside better. The idiot. Roy could barely see in the dimness. "I tried experimenting on myself with the stuff, but I gave myself an overdose…" Maybe that was what made his head go strange, thought Roy.

"This is your last chance. Get over here or I'll shoot." Riza shouted, cocking her pistol. "I mean it."

Livingston just said, "Colonel, you should be careful. There's someone behind you that looks like he wants to strangle you."

Roy frowned. He? Behind? Roy figured that Livingston had completely lost it. There was no one here other than him and Riza… Even so, Roy risked a glance back. Of course, there was nothing there, just another cobweb. And of course, it had been a bad mistake to do that.

He heard Riza's gun fire. Roy's head snapped back around, only to see the test tube sailing towards him. It hit the hard wall above his head, and broke into pieces.

The liquid inside was a dark orange. It went splattering across the tunnel. A second later, Roy found that it had gotten on his face. Also, in his left eye. He heard Riza calling his name, asking if he was all right, and he was about to reply when a sudden, unbearable agony took over the entire left side of his face. It was as if an acid were eating through his eyeball and nerves; probably that was what was happening. He gasped and fell to his knees, his hand over the spot; he wanted to claw at his eye until it was no longer there. Then it couldn't hurt like this, not like this…

"The pain's only bad in the beginning, so just take it. You'll have a rewarding experience. You'll see things that you never thought even existed." It was the bastard Livingston again. He sounded so far away. Roy, now on the floor, his hands over his face, gave a muffled moan, his entire body clenched into a tight ball. Riza had come to his side, panic now in her voice, begging him to hold on. He was fading.

Livingston, whom Riza had managed to shoot in the leg, was sitting calmly at the other end of the tunnel, even as blood was pooling up around him. On his face was a proud smile. His eyes, with which he was peering intently at Riza, bent over Roy's still form, were both a deep orange in colour.

Riza screamed for her comrades.

**TBC**

**Reviews anyone? :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed (including Planets – I'm glad you like the story so far!)**

**To I Am The 1****st**** Alchemist: **I was well aware of what I was writing. I just wanted to mean that Havoc isn't the sharpest-minded out of Roy's subordinates; physically he's one of the best, I think. I might get around to fixing that. Maybe. :)

**StormAlchemist677: **Just you wait. ^^

**Sonar: **Oh, is it? I'll have to fix it when I get the time. Thanks for pointing that out! I'm glad you find it 'all right'. :D

**Sharper Than the Sword: **Heh, I wasn't all that creative with Livingston's name. I might edit that if I ever get any better ideas.

**Notes: **I knew that took ages to update. Sorry. Really. I had school, and we had a really tough month… Long, long story. I had a hard time figuring out the order of events… You'll see. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

**Chapter Two**

"Lieutenant, are you sure you're fine with having me over?"

"Don't be ridiculous, sir." Riza didn't take her eyes off the road. "I don't even want to think of what would happen if I let you go home by yourself in your state." Which was a reasonable thing for her to say. Roy could barely walk on his own, for his nausea and headache was so bad. He'd barely made it to Riza's car. She wasn't happy that the doctors had discharged Roy from the hospital, but she had volunteered to take him home with her. She doubted how well Havoc or Breda would be able to take care of him, and Fuery as well as Falman, were in the dormitories. Riza was obviously the best choice for Roy.

"W-whatever you say." He tried not to make it too obvious that he was fighting the urge to vomit into the leather seats of Riza's car.

He rushed to the bathroom as soon as they arrived at her apartment, and threw up into the toilet. Gratefully, he accepted the cup of tea Riza had made for him, only to have to go to the washroom again. Both of them agreed it was best for Roy not to eat or drink anything for the time being. He decided to just lie down on the couch instead of attempting to do anything.

Riza brought him a blanket, with Black Hayate trotting along at her heels. She looked at Roy's sickly white face with concern. "Sir… what did the doctors say your illness was?"

"I don't know… they don't, either…" Roy passed a hand over his face. "They think it has something to do with the eye, though."

"Livingston's chemical?" Riza inquired.

"Probably." he sighed. "That bastard. He screwed me up pretty bad. He's in prison, right?"

"For the time being, he's being treated at the hospital. He'll be put on trial as soon as he recovers." Roy nodded at that. There was a moment of silence before Riza spoke again. "How's your eye, Colonel?"

"Doesn't hurt anymore. How does it look?"

Riza leaned in to see. "Ordinary, sir."

"That's good." His eye was the strangest thing. It seemed completely undamaged; the doctors were baffled. Several claimed that when he was first brought into the hospital the eye had been a bloody mess. Now it was as good as new… But not quite so. Roy had found that there were times when his eye changed colour. Usually it stayed its normal hue, black. Sometimes it would look brown. Occasionally, it turned gold. That was always accompanied by throbbing aches, no matter how much painkiller he took. The doctors had no explanation for it. It seemed to frighten them. Roy kept in mind that Robert Livingston was the only person he could ask for information on his peculiar condition. The alchemist had obviously known what he was doing when he threw that test tube at him. And what had he meant when he said that Roy would be able to 'see things that he never knew even existed'? Roy wasn't sure if he wanted to find out.

"Why don't you have a rest, sir." Riza interrupted his train of thoughts. It was more of a command than a question.

"Yeah, I will. Thanks for everything, Lieutenant." Roy fell asleep as soon as he put his head down onto the cushions.

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A week later.

The weather was beginning to cool, the sweltering heat of the summer fading. Already leaves on the trees were starting to go yellow and orange, reminding Roy of how fast time was passing. He was back in his office, having almost completely recovered from his ordeals in the week before. To be frank, it annoyed him and it frightened him. He knew that something wasn't right with himself. HE didn't quite feel normal. For one thing, his eye was aching constantly, and Roy was sure he was seeing strange shadows in the streets, particularly at night. No one else seemed to notice anything.

Sighing, Roy put his elbows on the table, propping up his chin on his hands. He hadn't been at work in a while, and his lack of activity had taken its toll on him. It was only one o'clock, and he was already exhausted… Havoc and Breda were carrying out their duties elsewhere, Fuery and Falman working quietly, and Riza was reading through some papers in a chair near Roy's desk. He glared at the stack of papers in front of him, lifted his pen and began to scribble out his signature when there was a sudden knocking on the door of his office. It sounded unusually loud, as if the person's knuckles were made of… metal.

"Yes?" Roy barked, annoyed, and with a good idea of who it was. "What is it?"

"Colonel-!" The door burst open, revealing a smallish blonde boy and a large armored figure behind him.

Another sigh escaped Roy's lips. "What brings you back to Central, Fullmetal? I thought you and Alphonse were travelling…"

"Jeez, what's with that look on your face?" Edward Elric grumbled as he came stomping inside. Alphonse timidly followed him, his footsteps echoing loudly through the office. "We had some business to attend to, and Alphonse said that we should come see you."

"For what? I have enough work on my hands, Fullmetal. I haven't had the best week. Come back later."

"You kidding me, Colonel?" Ed said, coming up to his desk. "Al and I came all the way here to ask you something, and you just tell us to leave – "

"What is it?" Roy rubbed his temples. Ah, shit, his eye was aching again. The damned thing… but he was almost used to it now.

"Well, there's this place we'd like to get into – we might find something interesting there, but we need permission from a superior officer…" The word 'superior' came out as if it was a wad of spit, and Roy smirked. "We need you to sign a slip for us."

"A slip? Fine, only if you return the 700 cenz you borrowed from me last month."

"I don't have any money!" Edward said through gritted teeth, obviously not wanting to admit the fact. "If I did, Al and I would be in a nice hotel right now…"

"Are you saying you have no place to stay while you're here?"

Alphonse butted in, seeing his brother fume and go a deep red with embarrassment. "Well, actually, sir – "

They were interrupted by once again a loud pounding on the door. Before Roy could call whoever it was in, a young soldier, a private, judging by the single stripe on his shoulder, came tumbling in.

"What's this?" Roy inquired, his eyebrow raised at the panting man. Edward and Alphonse, as well as Riza, Fuery and Falman, turned to look at him.

The soldier looked frightened. Was it because of the six pairs of eyes fixed on him, a lowly private? He probably wasn't used to all the attention. He raised his hand in a hasty salute. "Colonel Mustang – I'm very sorry for coming in like this – "

Roy waved his hand. "Never mind that. What is it?"

"Robert Livingston, sir – he did something to the guards – and he says that he wants to talk to you – "

"What happened?" Mustang stood up, his brow furrowing immediately. "Is Livingston still secure? Explain!"

"I – I don't really know, sir… He's in one of the cells in the basement – "

"Shit," Roy muttered, forgetting about appearing dignified in front of the private. He looked to Riza and said, "We're going down, Lieutenant." Roy looked over to Fuery and Falman as well. "You two are coming too. Now."

"Yes, sir." Riza drew her pistol and loaded it as Roy fumbled for his gloves.

Edward, not liking that he was being completely ignored, came up to Roy and said loudly, "Co-lonel? What's going on here? Who the heck's this Livingston guy? Where're you going?"

"I don't have time for this, Fullmetal." Mustang shot the boy a dark look. "Be quiet and wait here. I'll explain later; something very bad might be happening downstairs. I suggest that you let me get on with this." Without waiting for the boys to agree, Roy strode past them and pulled on his gloves as he went.

Both of them, Ed saw.

Riza, Fuery and Falman went after Mustang, none of them giving Ed and Al the slightest notice.

After a moment's hesitation, Edward grabbed Alphonse by the iron arm and followed the soldiers. He wanted to know what was going on. Who was this Livingston person? Why did he make Mustang so anxious? The colonel bastard was always supposed to be calm and collected. Something wasn't right.

Edward had no idea that Roy, right now, was absolutely terrified.

**fmaFMAFMAFMAfma**

Mustang grabbed Livingston by the collar, and shouted, "What the _fuck_ have you done?" He barely felt Riza's restraining hand on his shoulder. "_What have you done?_"

Two guards lay at his feet. They could have looked as if they were asleep, save for the fact that their eyes were wide open and unstaring. Fuery had checked. Neither of them were breathing.

Falman also tried to pull Roy back. "Colonel, please – "

The Livingston bastard was smiling unpleasantly. Roy was seeing his face properly for the first time. He had longish blonde hair, with stubble of the same colour bristling on his jaw, sharp cheekbones, and startlingly, eyes that were an unnatural shade of dark orange. It gave Roy a sense of foreboding, reminding him of his own golden iris. He remembered Livingston saying that he'd 'given himself an overdose'. Could that have something to do with it?

"Wow, Colonel, you're getting aggressive. I wish you'd take your hands off me." Livingston said in a jovial voice.

In reply, Roy punched him in the face. Fuery moaned something from behind him, and Riza gripped his shoulder, but he took no notice. "Shut up, Livingston. _Shut up_."

"Look, Mustang, if you get so worked up, your eye's gonna adjust again. And that might scare someone."

Roy stopped. "Adjust?"

"Yeah. You know, shift gears so that you can see things?"

Roy felt his heart skip a beat. His eyes narrowed. "What?"

Livingston just shrugged. "Look, don't do that. Squinting makes it happen even if you don't want it to."

Roy tightened his grip on him, and breathed, "What the hell did you do to me? Tell me. Everything." Riza's fingers tightened on his shoulder; he barely felt her nails digging into him.

"Whoa, Colonel, there's no rush. We have a lot of time on our hands, don't we? Why don't you just get me out of this stinking prison and we can talk this over?"

Mustang gritted his teeth and felt like beating the bastard to a pulp when he felt something cold and hard catching his arm in an inhumanly strong grip. It squeezed him so hard, as if to break his wrist. He looked around to see what it was.

Ah, it was the Fullmetal kid.

"Stop it!" Edward yelled, pulling at his arm. "Stop!"

"Let go of me, Fullmetal – " Roy snarled, but the scene behind him made him falter. His subordinates were looking on with expressions of utter astonishment on their faces – with Riza, it was something more like disappointment. The rage left his limbs; Ed, sensing it, slowly released his arm. Mustang took several steadying breaths, and turned back to Livingston. "I'm going to take you to the interrogation room. You can explain a few things to me there."

Livingston grinned, as if satisfied. "That's a _good_ idea, Colonel."

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"The _fucking_ bastard." Mustang was still fuming, in his office, two hours after the incident.

From beside him, Hawkeye gave him a rebuking glance. "Colonel, please watch your language."

Roy, in his obvious rage, clenched and unclenched his gloved fists. "I… just… I just want to kill the bastard."

"_Language_, sir."

"Okay, I got it!" Roy snapped. A moment later, as if realizing what he'd just done, turned back to her and said in a quieter tone, "I'm sorry, Lieutenant."

Riza replied with some relief, "It's all right, sir."

"But Livingston…"

They both fell silent. Roy stared at the wood of his desk, trying to blink away the throbbing in his eye. It angered him. It was a constant reminder of Livingston, quite possibly the man he hated most in this world at the moment. Riza kept her gaze fixed on her superior, hoping his temper would stay in check. She knew that he'd been edgy since the accident in Livingston's mansion – although his only injury had been the eye, it hadn't seemed to be a normal one. Riza had noticed it shift colour as soon as he was discharged from the hospital. Livingston had only confirmed her suspicions.

"Colonel Mustang, I was always interested in you," he'd said. "You're one of the powerful ones, aren't you? Out of the State Alchemists. I've been watching you for a while… I decided you'd be a good candidate for my little experiment."

Riza had never seen Roy in such a fit of rage before. For whatever reason, Livingston seemed to aggravate Mustang more than any other criminal. Perhaps the fact that Livingston had sprayed a dangerous chemical into his eye and put two guards into a coma had something to do with it. Even in the interrogation room she had to restrain Roy from setting Livingston on fire. The criminal's casual, disrespectful attitude didn't help matters. He talked to Mustang like he would do to an old friend.

"Just tell me what you did to me, scumbag," Roy's voice had been a low hiss.

"It's pretty simple. You'll find out pretty soon, when the effects of my solution kick in. Tell me what you see next time you pay me a visit." It had left Roy even more frustrated than before; he hated that this obviously insane man knew more about his condition than he did. He just wanted to know what was wrong with him. What had happened to him? Yet Livingston couldn't give him a single damn straight answer.

When the interrogation had ended Roy knew no more that when he'd started. It infuriated him.

To make matters worse, Edward and even Alphonse Elric were demanding to know what was going on. Roy had managed to get them out of his office for the time being, but he was expecting them to be back tomorrow. What was he going to tell them? He had no desire to let the boys in on his troubles and the Livingston incident. They had enough on their minds…

"Colonel Mustang, sir?" Hawkeye said gently, interrupting his thoughts. "Do you think… perhaps you'd like a cup of tea?"

He nodded gratefully. "Sure, why not. Thanks, Lieutenant." Roy glanced at his watch. He was going to be working late tonight; the interrogation had taken too much of his precious time.

A few hours of paperwork later, Hawkeye spoke to him. "Sir… I have some business to attend to; would you mind if I – "

"No, it's fine. You're dismissed." Roy waved his hand. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Riza snapped to attention. "Yes, sir."

The office was quiet, almost eerie, with Riza gone. Mustang sighed and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. It was seven o'clock… already the streets were blanketed in darkness. Picking up his fountain pen once more, Roy began signing his name on another document. _R-O-Y. _The sound of his pen scratching across the paper seemed so loud. He began to spell out his last name. He only got as far as 'T' when a sudden noise startled him. It sounded like the sound of nails scrabbling on the wooden floor.

Roy looked up and squinted into the dimness. The only light that was on was his desk lamp. He couldn't see much. "Black Hayate? Is that you?" He called out. Nothing answered; Mustang had been hoping to hear the familiar yaps from the little black dog. Hayate always answered to his name. This wasn't him.

The back of his neck prickling, Roy put down his pen and slowly stood up. "Hello?" There was only a suffocating silence. Roy scanned the room carefully, searching for any sign of movement – it was then there was a sudden flash of _something_, as if an animal had dashed by with incredible speed. He didn't know why, but Mustang felt oddly chilled. Afraid. He went to the other end of the room, and glanced at the door, frowning. He knew he'd seen Riza close it. He was sure of it. But why was it hanging open, then? Roy pushed it open and took a look in the hall. Again, he saw nothing.

"I'm just being an idiot…" He muttered to himself, shaking his head; he turned back inside, closing the door behind him.

A split second later, there was only chaos.

Roy was on the floor. There was something on top of him; something large, furry and vicious. And _loud_. The cold, calculating side of Roy's brain was wondering why no one could hear the racket – an ear-shattering screeching and wailing that sounded like a hundred stuck pigs. It was the size of a large dog, judging by the weight of it. The thing was clinging onto Roy's uniform, clawing wildly at his chest and shoulders; luckily the fabric was tough and his neck was yet untouched. Mustang desperately grasped at the creature, trying to pry it off, but it stubbornly stayed rooted to his jacket. It took a swipe at Roy's face, its claw slicing open a cut from temple to jaw. The white-hot pain spurred Mustang into action – he shoved in his arm between himself and the creature, and slammed it to the floor, putting all his weight on it at the same time. There was a shrill screaming noise; Roy was finally able to wrench the thing off. Not wasting any time, he pulled on his alchemic glove.

Before he toasted the creature, he took a moment to observe it. It surprised him all over again, for it was nothing like he'd ever seen before – it was like a wolf, only extremely skinny, with an oversized head and jaws; Roy was horrified when he saw that the thing had crimson eyes. It had opened them again, and was slobbering, preparing to leap for Mustang's throat – before it could do so Roy snapped his fingers.

With a satisfying scream, the creature burned.

Roy breathed a sigh of relief and wiped off the blood that had streamed down his face. He winced. The cut stung. Muttering more curses – his mouth had gotten dirty lately – Roy looked back at the creature. It was his turn to yell.

It wasn't dead. It wasn't even dying. In fact, it was advancing towards him again, even with its grey fur flaming brightly – it didn't seem to be feeling the agony of being on fire.

"What the hell are you?" Roy shouted at it, not really expecting it to answer him. "Why the _fuck_ are you trying to eat me?!_" What was this thing?_

In reply, it came running at him. At the same moment, Mustang had made his decision. He dashed for it. He knew where he was headed – down to the prisons, where he'd be able to find Robert Livingston. Behind him, he heard the creature storming after him with a frightening speed. With this on his tail, Livingston would have to give him _some_ answers. Mustang sensed that the man might know what to make of this entire bizarre situation. As much as he hated Livingston, Roy knew that he needed help.

Or, perhaps he'd at least teach him how to get rid of this stupid roasted animal?

**TBC**.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes**: I'm sorry updates for this are so slow… I published the first chapter in a rather impulsive manner, without much planning, so I had to take more time to get the plot straight. The planning stage isn't complete yet but I have ideas for up to Chapter Ten, maybe, so I'll try to get them up as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience, everyone.

**Chapter Three**

The young guard was half-asleep when a sudden racket jolted him awake. For a moment he was terrified that it was Livingston again, that he'd escaped – but when he opened his eyes and frantically looked around he saw that the criminal was still in his original position in his jail cell. The noise seemed to be coming from… upstairs. The guard whipped out his gun and tried to hold it steady, sweat dripping into his eyes. It sounded as if someone was running – running very fast. The person was definitely heading this way. The guard prepared to meet the intruder with a bullet; the prison door burst open, and the guard was about to shoot – it was then he recognized that it was Colonel Roy Mustang. The guard was startled. He didn't expect a superior officer to be here at a time like this.

Before the guard could say anything, Roy had shoved him out of the way. His lungs were about to burst, and the thing was still chasing him. He glanced back – there it was, snarling, screeching, still on fire – it was scattering stinking ashes everywhere.

"Livingston!" Roy shouted. "Livingston, you bastard, where are you?"

"O-ho, do I hear the Colonel calling me?" Livingston's voice floated over from one of the jail cells.

Mustang gasped for air as the creature advanced at him. His eyes frantically scanned the prisons, searching for Livingston – damn it, _why was he at the other end of the place? _Roy cursed, and backed away farther. It was then he was reminded of the guard's presence.

The young man just screamed. He screamed like a little boy and dashed off, going the way Roy had come.

"Damn it. Abandoning your post… That's a demotion for you, kid," Roy muttered under his breath. The wolf-thing still had its red eyes trained on him, even though its form seemed to be half-destroyed, with smoke rising from its blackened flesh. Its teeth, Roy saw with dismay, were still intact.

Mustang had no time to finish, for the creature pounced at the same time. He scrambled backward, just far enough to avoid those nasty-looking claws. Its jaws snapped in his face; he felt its hot breath on his cheeks and smelled the rancid scent of burnt flesh. Desperate, he aimed a kick at its snout, only to have his foot land in its open mouth. The jagged fangs closed over his foot; yelling, Roy yanked as hard as he could. In a moment, his leg was free, his foot having eased out from its boot. The beast roared in anger as it discovered that his prey had gotten away again, leaving it with hard leather in its mouth.

"I'm comin' out, Colonel!" It was Livingston's voice again.

Before Roy could fully comprehend what he was saying, several things happened at once. The beast gave a ferocious snarl, and there was massive _boom_ from somewhere behind Mustang. What seemed like a second later, Robert Livingston was standing in front of him, with what looked like a metal pole in his hand.

"Watch carefully, Colonel Mustang. You'll need to know some things if you don't want to be eaten by these piles of shit."

"You can't kill it – "

"Stab it through the heart."

"But- "

Livingston turned to Roy and gave him a crooked grin. "Their hearts are in their stomachs."

It seemed as though Livingston had meant it literally. The thing leapt at the two men. Livingston didn't flinch; at the last possible moment, he moved and thrust the pole into its midsection. The noise it made was awful. Roy winced as the creature collapsed and lay, twitching, on the floor, what seemed like blood pooling up around it, only it was black instead of crimson. Its red eyes were wide open and unstaring. It looked fairly dead.

Roy slowly got up to his feet, still breathing heavily. "What… what the hell was that thing?"

Livingston glanced back at it for a moment. "Probably some kind of angry spirit… It's hard to tell when it's cooked like that."

"Spirit…?"

"Yeah." Livingston looked at Roy as if to scrutinize him. For some reason, Roy felt uncomfortable under that orange gaze. "Say, Colonel… How did you even manage to see the thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, did you have to look for it? Did it just show up in front of you? What happened?"

"Why would I go looking for something like that?" Mustang scowled. "I don't know… it… It was just there. In my office."

Livingston looked thoughtful. "Interesting… very interesting indeed…"

"Since you're out here, I'd like some answers. Or I'll have to throw you back inside, Livingston." Roy decided to take control once more. He grabbed the criminal by the arm and made for the door.

"Does that mean you're not going to if I answer your questions?"

"We'll see about that." _You probably did just save my life, after all, _Mustang thought bitterly.

"So harsh."

"Shut up."

Roy tried not to betray how shaken he was from his encounter with the… spirit, did Livingston say? What did the man mean by 'interesting'? Why was he seeing these things? Why were they coming after him? His head was buzzing with questions that he desperately wanted to ask.

They came to Roy's dimly lit office. He forcefully sat Livingston down in a chair and turned to face him.

"So." Livingston looked up innocently. "First question?"

Mustang took a deep breath. "These things I'm seeing, is it because you put that stuff in my eye?"

Livingston replied with an enthusiastic nod. "Probably."

Roy punched him in the face, hard. "You deserve that, then," he said, panting. "you bastard."

The man only rubbed at the spot where he was hit, and said calmly, "Next?"

Mustang gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay calm. "How come you asked about how I was able to see it? Does that mean other people can't?" Absently, Roy wiped at the cut on his face made by the creature's claws with the back of his arm.

"Well," Livingston said thoughtfully. "Theoretically no humans have eyes sensitive enough to be able to see spirits or anything related to them – "

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"The solution I gave you." Livingston locked eyes with Roy. "To put things simply, it caused your ordinary human eye to evolve into that of a ghoul or spirit. That's why you can see things that are invisible to humans' senses. Also the solution heightens your other senses, which is why you can hear, smell and touch the creatures, too. Most other people can't even feel their presence."

"Why did you do this to me?" Roy's mouth was dry. He was no longer angry, just… drained. "Why me?"

"Good question. I'm actually not sure."

"_Not sure?_"

"No need to get worked up, Colonel. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to come up with an explanation if you need me to."

Roy's fist clenched involuntarily. "What the hell – " He breathed deeply. "Why did that thing come and attack me?"

"That I can only guess, unfortunately. I'm thinking that it was interested in you for a few reasons. The fact that you were able to see it in the first place. How you radiate a sense of power – "

"What?"

"You do. Your personality, demeanor and how your spirit eye already seems to be all-seeing…"

"I don't understand."

"For me, it took a while to get adjusted to my new vision. A month. Perhaps even two. But you, sir, are already seeing creatures that aren't of this earth with perfect precision. And without much effort, either."

"Why..."

"That's what I want to know."

Suddenly a realization dawned on Roy. Back at the mansion, Livingston had told him that there was someone nearby... Had that been a mere distraction, or something else? Now Roy believed the latter. Maybe there really had been a ghoul or spirit standing behind him, looking angry…

"You can see them, too?"

"Obviously. I gave myself a dose of the solution."

"Are they everywhere?"

"Pretty much, yeah. They usually come out at night. But a lot of them seem to be interested in people in general – they sometimes follow them into their houses. Most of them are harmless, but some, like the one you just met, like to try to eat humans, especially ones that seem to notice them."

"So we've been living with these things all our lives."

"They've existed alongside humans for the longest time."

"Ah."

There was a long moment of silence as Roy pondered this. Just then he remembered something. "Wait. How come that guard could see the thing?"

"Hm? Are you sure about that?"

"I don't know… He definitely saw something."

"Maybe because the spirit was on fire… Yes. Fire makes them visible. But since not many people can actually control fire like you do, no one's been able to see them in that way…"

"Ah…"

Livingston sighed and leaned back casually. "Colonel, it seems like my leg's bleeding again. Am I still going back to that puny cell?"

**fmaFMAFMAFMAfma**

The following morning, Edward and Alphonse Elric came to visit Mustang, exactly as he had predicted. The boys, determined to talk to him, got there even before his subordinates did. They were surprised to see the office in disarray, with papers and books strewn all over the place; Ed noticed strange marks on the wooden floor that looked awfully like claw marks from an animal. The Colonel himself was at his desk, asleep, with a band-aid on his face, his uniform crumpled and hair unkempt. Edward was becoming increasingly suspicious.

"Oi, Colonel!" Ed shouted. "Can we talk to you?"

Alphonse looked at him. "Brother! Not so loud – "

"Whatever," Edward rolled his eyes.

"Fullmetal?" Mustang stirred. He gave a huge yawn; his sleepy eyes moved over the boys, then the clock. "Fullmetal! What are you doing here at a time like this?"

"You're really unwelcoming, aren't you," the teen grumbled, brushing his blonde bangs from his eyes.

"What do you want now?" Mustang said tiredly.

"Well, first of all," Edward said, gesturing at the room, "tell me what the hell you've been doing all night. Did you have a party in here?"

"That's none of your business." The Colonel said curtly, getting up and looking out the window. "Anything else?"

"Come on, tell us." Ed wasn't about to give up so easily.

"Colonel," Alphonse said quietly, "did something happen in here?"

Mustang turned to face the two, his eyes hard, cold and emotionless. "I said that it's nothing." Suddenly they widened, and what looked like shock spread over his face.

It was at that moment that Edward could have sworn that he saw a flash of gold from the Colonel's left eye. "Colonel, what – your eye – "

Roy had looked away before Ed could see anything more. "Can you leave me alone for a minute, Fullmetal?"

This time both brothers protested. "But – Colonel – "

"Get out. Please." The tone in Roy's voice told Edward that he was going to tolerate no more. He hadn't seen his superior in a mood like this before.

"Okay," Edward said at last, and backed out, tugging Alphonse along after him.

As soon as the boys had closed the door behind them, Roy whirled around and looked in the direction, his heart racing and eye throbbing dully again. Right there – he could see it so clearly – there was another spirit. It looked like a giant snake with batlike wings. A moment ago, its long, thin fangs had been bared, just inches from Edward's head – now its piercing blue eyes were trained on Roy, him and nothing else. He hardly dared to breathe, wondering if the thing was going to fly in and attack him now. It opened its mouth hugely and hissed dangerously. Mustang slipped his shaking hand into his alchemic glove; prepared to snap –

"Colonel Mustang?" The door burst open, and the spirit fled. It simply darted off, slipping straight into a nearby wall. Startled, Mustang whirled around to see Hawkeye staring at him, and quickly shoved his hands into his pockets. "Sir? Is everything all right?" From outside the office he saw that the Elric brothers were peering in quizzically.

"Yeah, yeah." Roy shook his head. "Good morning, Lieutenant. Did you sleep well?"

Riza raised her eyebrow at her commander's transparent attempt at changing the topic. She also noticed the band-aid; however she said nothing more of the matter. "Yes, sir. Did your work go well?"

Mustang nodded, not betraying his relief, and looked to the Elrics. "Fullmetal. I'll give you that permission slip right now."

Edward very badly wanted to grab the Colonel by the collar and shake explanations out of him. What was he doing, seemingly so focused on thin air? What was with that gold in his eye? Why was he acting so strangely?

Ed was determined to find out.

**fmaFMAFMAFMAfma**

"Brother, we really shouldn't be doing this." Alphonse whispered.

"Shhh, Al." Edward hissed. "He'll hear us."

The Fullmetal Alchemist tried not to think about how idiotic he and his brother must be looking, crouched behind a bush at the side of the road. He also tried not to think about what would happen if the Colonel bastard found out that he was being stalked.

So far, everything looked normal. The streets were dark and quiet; Roy was strolling down the sidewalk with his usual confident air. Edward began to doubt himself after sneaking after Mustang for over half an hour. Al seemed to think so, as well.

"Brother, let's stop… This isn't getting anywhere…"

"Al, look!" Roy had stopped. He was standing as if frozen to the spot. Edward couldn't tell how much time had passed with Mustang just standing there like that. He and Alphonse held their breaths, watching, not daring to take their eyes off the Colonel. Ed was certain that there was absolutely nothing and no one nearby.

Alphonse gave Ed a tentative nudge. "Brother… what's he doing?" He whispered.

"I dunno…"

Suddenly, Roy uttered a curse and broke into a sprint. Edward's eyes widened in surprise as his thoughts raced, frantically trying to generate a plan. If he and Al ran after him, they'd obviously be heard, especially with Al's clanking metal feet. But Ed didn't want to simply let the Colonel get away like that… An idea made its way into his head.

Edward rapped on his brother's armor. "Al, I want you to follow him from a distance, so you won't be heard."

"But I'm pretty sure I'll lose him, Brother…"

"It's fine. I'm going after him, too."

"How?"

"Rooftops," Edward replied with a grin, "I'm gonna use the rooftops."

"What?" Before Al could object or react, Edward clapped his hands and put them to the ground, generating a giant palm that blasted him upwards. He landed lightly on the roof and paused for a moment to get his bearings. Seeing Roy, only a few blocks ahead, Edward began to give chase, leaping over boxes and piles of rubbish. Jumping across gaps between buildings, Ed slowly but steadily gained on Mustang.

A few minutes later, Mustang suddenly stopped. Edward skidded to a halt at the edge of the roof; he carefully peered down, making sure that he wasn't visible from above. Ed noticed with surprise that Roy had his white gloves on, and judging by the way a hand seemed to be poised in a snapping position, those were his alchemic gloves. But what was he targeting, anyways? As hard as he tried Edward couldn't see anything that looked even remotely like a living thing nearby. As Ed squinted and tried to look closer, Roy let out a half-shout that almost sounded… panicked. Since when did the Colonel bastard _panic? _Before Edward could fully comprehend what was going on, there was a small _pop_, then a burst of bright fire. Dammit, Ed couldn't see a thing from up here. What the hell was happening? What was Roy trying to set on fire?

"C'mon, _die_, you bastard!" Edward thought he heard Mustang yelling at… nothing. "_Why won't you die?_"

Was Mustang going _mad?_

It was the only thought in Edward's head as he watched the Colonel send flames flying in seemingly random directions, looking quite agitated. He very badly wanted to get down there and tell his superior to snap out of it, but he knew that that would be an extremely stupid thing to do. Edward, seeing Al approaching from a block away, quickly slid down a pipe on the building and to the ground. He grabbed Alphonse, pulling him into the alley, and motioned him to be quiet.

"Brother?" Al whispered.

"I saw him," Ed said in a low voice, "and I'm pretty sure he's going crazy or something."

**TBC.**

**Reviews please :)**


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